There was an all-natural buzz on the show floor during day one of Newtopia Now, formerly Natural Products Expo East, at the Denver Convention Center in Denver, Colo., on Monday.
The event was the first for the new show, which is staged by New Hope Network, a sister publication of Supermarket News.
The show had over 550 exhibitors, with 180 exhibiting for the first time at any trade show, and over 7,000 attendees, according to show officials.
Heavy hitters in the natural and organic food industry like Whole Foods, Target, and Sprouts Farmers Market were in also attendance.
The core goal of Newtopia Now is to create a meeting place for CPGs and retailers in the natural and organic market, according to New Hope. Indeed, the show floor itself lacked the traditional trade show carpeting, making it look more like walking through an actual neighborhood marketplace with the gray concrete floor looking more like a sidewalk.
The show was divided up into four sections or “neighborhoods”: “Thrive,” “Glow,” “Regenerate,” and “Represent.”
Newtopia Now also had a kitchen area where natural and organic dishes were being created, a café, and a Tasting Bar located right off the show floor where attendees could sample various products of the show.
Click through the slideshow to see the trends.
